The Other Side of Colorism

Colorism doesn’t just affect one end of the spectrum it affects the other end as well. I never knew that there were light-skinned people that suffered due to colorism since I mostly experienced it for not being light-skinned. However, for some light-skinned people they have been picked on, talked bad about, discriminated against, and some even had to fight a lot as an adult and in their youth all because they were light-skinned.

During one of my classes, we were discussing how media in the Western part of the world affects the rest of the world in these areas: culture, values, market, thinking process and more; the topic about colorism came up because western media is based on the ignorance of white is right.

Mostly women talked about their own run in with colorism or how much they know about it. One girl that was light-brown skin but would easily be considered light-skinned talked about how she always had to be careful about what she did, said, and acted because she didn’t want people to label her as this or that. It has to suck to have to watch what you do because you don’t want people to label you as some stuck up light-skinned person is crazy.

Then again I can see why she had that mentality because light people are labeled as being stuck up, thinking they all that, all the guys want tehm and all the girls want them, they are arrogant, cocky, thinking they are just the hottest thing since slice bread and so on.

This thought is far from true, yes there are some that act and think that way, but it is not the majority. There are light-skinned girls that when they get with a guy all he talks about is how redbone she is, a term I hate, or how he wants to have a baby with her so the kid will have “good” features and so on. These women are talked about and looked at for their skintone not how they feel inside, not as human beings, not as women, but as trophy wives and that is not fair.

The same can be said for light-skinned guys, when women flock to them for the sole purpose of their child looking a certain way, or always bring up their skintone, or praising them for it and so on. These guys are not treated as human beings or men they are like toys that are cool to be seen with any nothing more.

The reason why this doesn’t get much attention or gets shut down easily because people feel as thought since light-skinned girls and guys receive so much media representation and are put on a pedestal it isn’t as serious as some make it seem. At the end of the day its wrong for anyone to be treated good or bad based on their skintone.

For those that act arrogant or so on are taught to be that way and you can tell at times. I had a class with a guy that was light everything, light-skin, light eyes and “fine” hair. According to him he had pretty eyes and pretty hair, but whatever. He was definitely cocky and it was because of his “pretty” features. I could tell that he most likely was raised with that mindset cause it doesn’t come from nowhere.

I feel for those like him cause reality usually hit those types hard.  It’s like women and men who pride themselves on their youth and how good they look that when they get older and don’t look as good they go crazy and become plastic Barbies and Kens with all the work that they get done.

Point blank colorism affects anyone and people need to stop trying to dodge the subject because its tied very well into sexism. Oh and can ppl pleaase stop giving light-skinned black people nicknames that are dumb they are black, they are no less black than a dark-skinned person.

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